Crown Prosecution Service: Northamptonshire

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Attorney-General what assessment he has made of the (a) best and (b) worst aspects of the performances of the Crown Prosecution Service in Northamptonshire; and what steps he intends to take to improve its performance.

Oliver Heald: The following tables contain key performance indicators for Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) Northamptonshire and the corresponding position nationally during the last three years.
	In the Crown court performance, CPS Northamptonshire is generally above the national average. Areas of strong and improving performance may be detected in the prosecution of rape cases. Rape attrition in the CPS Northamptonshire is now the sixth best in the country, a substantial improvement brought about by focusing on the quality of case work and increases in specialisation.
	In the magistrates court a recent downward trend in cases with successful outcomes has been detected. Local management have put in place multi-agency arrangements with criminal justice partners for analysing the attendance of witnesses and for better understanding the underlying causes of ineffective trials in order to improve performance and effective use of resources.
	
		
			 Northamptonshire—Crown court prosecutions 
			  2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			  Number Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage 
			 Convictions 1,016 86.8 993 86.3 993 84.2 
			 Unsuccessful 155 13.2 158 13.7 186 15.8 
			 Total 1,171 — 1,151 — 1,179 — 
		
	
	
		
			 National—Crown court prosecutions 
			  2009- 10 2010- 11 2011- 12 
			  Number Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage 
			 Convictions 88,872 80.7 93,106 79.7 86,729 80.9 
			 Unsuccessful 21,274 19.3 23,792 20.4 20,515 19.1 
			 Total 110,146 — 116,898 — 107,244 — 
		
	
	
		
			 Northamptonshire—Rape prosecutions 
			  2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			  Number Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage 
			 Convictions 23 67.6 28 56.0 51 68.0 
			 Unsuccessful 11 32.4 22 44.0 24 32.0 
			 Total 34 — 50 — 75 — 
		
	
	
		
			 National—Rape prosecutions 
			  2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			  Number Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage 
			 Convictions 2,270 59.4 2,465 58.6 2,414 62.5 
			 Unsuccessful 1,549 40.6 1,743 41.4 1,450 37.5 
			 Total 3,819 — 4,208 — 3,864 — 
		
	
	
		
			 Northamptonshire—Domestic violence prosecutions 
			  2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			  Number Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage 
			 Convictions 370 71.8 567 70.0 555 71.0 
			 Unsuccessful 145 28.2 243 30.0 227 29.0 
			 Total 515 — 810 — 782 — 
		
	
	
		
			 National—Domestic violence prosecutions 
			  2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			  Number Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage 
			 Convictions 53,347 72.0 59,101 71.9 58,138 73.3 
			 Unsuccessful 20,766 28.0 23,086 28.1 21,130 26.7 
			 Total 74,113 — 82,187 — 79,268 — 
		
	
	
		
			 Northamptonshire—Magistrates court CPS charged prosecutions 
			  2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			  Number Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage 
			 Convictions 1,938 79.9 2,021 77.8 1,292 78.4 
			 Unsuccessful 488 20.1 576 22.2 356 21.6 
			 Total 2,426 — 2,597 — 1,648 — 
		
	
	
		
			 National—Magistrates court CPS charged prosecutions 
			  2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			  Number Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage 
			 Convictions 182,940 79.0 181,454 78.2 147,297 78.2 
			 Unsuccessful 48,653 21.0 50,685 21.8 41,162 21.8 
			 Total 231,593 — 232,139 — 188,459 — 
		
	
	
		
			 Northamptonshire—Total magistrates courts prosecutions 
			  2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			  Number Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage 
			 Convictions 7,879 86.9 7,854 85.5 6,288 85.5 
			 Unsuccessful 1,190 13.1 1,328 14.5 1,069 14.5 
			 Total 9,069 — 9,182 — 7,357 — 
		
	
	
		
			 National—Total magistrates courts prosecutions 
			  2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			  Number Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage 
			 Convictions 757,349 86.8 727,491 86.5 682,523 86.7 
			 Unsuccessful 115,236 13.2 113,492 13.5 105,024 13.3 
			 Total 872,585 — 840,983 — 787,547 —

Harassment

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Attorney-General how many prosecutions the Crown Prosecution Service have brought under section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986 in each of the last five years.

Oliver Heald: The records held by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) identify the number of offences charged under Section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986 in which a prosecution commenced, rather than the number of defendants prosecuted. CPS records do not identify the number of defendants prosecuted for specific offences. Rather, they show the number of offences in which a prosecution commenced and reached a first hearing in magistrates courts.
	During the last five years the number of these offences was as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
			 2007-08 38,048 
			 2008-09 36,892 
			 2009-10 34,544 
			 2010-11 34,279 
			 2011-12 28,549

Human Trafficking

Peter Bone: To ask the Attorney-General what his policy is on prosecutions in criminal cases relating to human trafficking.

Oliver Heald: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) published a Public Policy Statement for Prosecuting Cases of Human Trafficking in June 2011. This policy statement emphasises that the CPS considers organised human trafficking to be a very serious crime and prosecutors will do whatever possible to disrupt and combat trafficking, including bringing successful prosecutions. The policy statement explains the way in which the CPS deal with cases of human trafficking and the wide range of other crime associated with it. In addition, the statement is supported by more detailed legal guidance for CPS prosecutors providing up-to-date guidance on the range of criminal offences associated with trafficking, supporting trafficked victims and case management issues.

G8

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Prime Minister whether the (a) date and (b) location for the G8 summit 2013 has been decided; and if he will publish them.

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  which venues are being considered for the 39th G8 summit;
	(2)  if he will publish a timetable setting out the preparations being made for the 39th G8 summit.

David Cameron: I will announce the date and location of the G8 summit, including a timetable for the UK presidency of the G8, in due course. I look forward to welcoming G8 partners to the UK for this important event.
	I can confirm that the UK will hold a series of preparatory meetings before the summit, at the level of senior officials.
	The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorkshire) (Mr Hague), plans to hold a ministerial meeting with his G8 counterparts, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), plans to hold a ministerial meeting with his G7 counterparts and Central Bank Governors.

Housing Benefit

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what provision he has made for persons leaving care as part of any restriction on the payment of housing benefit to claimants under the age of 25.

Steve Webb: Current Government policy does not include withdrawing housing support from, people aged under 25.
	Care leavers are currently exempt until age 22 from the shared accommodation rate restrictions that apply to single people claiming housing benefit under age 35.

Nottinghamshire

Mark Spencer: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what Ministerial visits to (a) the City of Nottingham and (b) Nottinghamshire have taken place since May 2010.

Nicholas Clegg: I have visited Nottingham and Nottinghamshire three times since coming into office in May 2010. The first occasion was a Town Hall event held with the Prime Minister at a school in Nottingham on 2 October 2010, the second occasion was a Town Hall event held with the Prime Minister at the Boots factory in Nottingham on 24 March 2011 and the third visit was to Nottingham police station on 1 August 2011.

Privy Council

Tim Loughton: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the name is of each member of each House of Parliament recommended for appointment to the Privy Council since May 2010; and on what basis each such recommendation was made.

Nicholas Clegg: A list of all Privy Counsellors appointed since May 2010 is available on the Privy Council website:
	http://privycouncil.independent.gov.uk
	Appointments are made by Her Majesty the Queen on the advice of the Prime Minister. Those appointed mostly comprise Ministers, other parliamentarians and members of the judiciary.

Apprentices: Warrington

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the average number of people applying for each apprenticeship vacancy in Warrington was in each of the last five years.

Matthew Hancock: holding answer 17 October 2012
	Table 1 shows the number of apprenticeship programme starts in Warrington local education authority between the 2006/07 and 2010/11 academic years. Data for 2010/11 is the latest year for which final data are available.
	
		
			 Table 1: Apprenticeship programme starts in Warrington local education authority, 2006/07 to 2010/11 
			 Warrington local education authority Number 
			 2006/07 940 
			 2007/08 1,060 
			 2008/09 1,220 
			 2009/10 1,890 
			 2010/11 2,440 
			 Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Geographic breakdowns are based upon the home postcode of the learner. 3. Figures are based on the geographic boundaries as of May 2010. Source: Individualised Learner Record 
		
	
	Information on the number of apprenticeship starts by geography is published in a supplementary table to a quarterly Statistical First Release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 11 October 2012:
	http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statistical firstrelease/sfr_current
	http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statisticalfirstrelease/sfr_supplementary_tables/Apprenticeship_ sfr_supplementary_tables/
	Data is not available on the average number of people applying for all apprenticeships in Warrington.
	It is possible to calculate the average number of applications made per vacancy registered on the Apprenticeship Vacancies system in Warrington.
	Employers registered on the Apprenticeship Vacancies system can advertise a vacancy directly on the system or direct candidates to their own website and information is captured in both cases. Information is not captured for vacancies made available by employers who are not registered. Table 2 shows the average number of applications made per vacancy advertised on the Apprenticeship Vacancies system in Warrington in the 2010/11 and 2011/12 academic years.
	
		
			 Table 2: Average number of applications made per vacancy on the Apprenticeship Vacancies system in Warrington, 2010/11 to 2011/12 
			  Average applications made per vacancy 
			 2010/11 10 
			 2011/12 13 
			 Notes: 1. Data are shown from 2010/11 as these are more accurate due to the high level of activity on the system. 2. The vacancies used in the calculation are completed or closed and therefore no more applications can be received to these vacancies. 3. The data excludes nationwide vacancies (eg MOD). Source: Apprenticeship Vacancies data 
		
	
	Online reports from Apprenticeship Vacancies are updated on a monthly basis and published by the Data Service at the following link:
	http://mireportslibrary.thedataservice.org.uk/apprenticeships/apprenticeship_vacancy_reports/

Business: Loans

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on allegations that small businesses in (a) Barnsley Central constituency and (b) nationally were encouraged by banks to take out loans that included swap agreements; and what steps he is taking in this respect.

Michael Fallon: Fixed rate loans and other loans involving interest rate protection can be legitimate products to help businesses manage the risk of interest rate fluctuations. However, in light of the complicated nature of interest rate swap agreements, their sale is regulated by the Financial Services Authority (FSA), at arm’s length from Government.
	Following the FSA's review of July this year which found evidence of mis-selling, the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the right hon. Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), has discussed this issue with Lord Turner as Chair of the FSA and also with ministerial colleagues on several occasions at a national level.
	The Secretary of State and officials from the Department for Business Innovation and Skills as well as Ministers and officials from HM Treasury and the FSA continue to meet with affected businesses and the Federation of Small Businesses to engage with their concerns on this issue, as the banks begin to provide redress for affected customers.
	Members with specific concerns about the FSA's redress process are encouraged to raise these with the FSA directly.

Companies: Codes of Practice

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will make it his policy to include grievance mechanisms in the duty to report on bodies listed under the Companies Act 2006.

Jo Swinson: The Government has today published draft regulations to amend narrative reporting, after carrying out two detailed consultations. The Government has no plans to require companies to include grievance mechanisms in their annual reports.

Research and Development Tax Credit

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the monetary value is of the research and development tax credits allocated to each sector in each of the last three years; and which 10 companies were allocated the highest amounts in such credits in each such year.

David Gauke: The latest statistics on research and development tax credits are available on the HMRC website and include an industry sector analysis of the cost of R and D tax credit claims for 2010-11. The link to these statistics is provided at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/corporate_tax/rd6.pdf
	The following table shows the Industry sector analysis of cost of R and D tax credit claims, 2008-09 to 2010-11.
	
		
			 Industry sector analysis of cost of R  and  D tax credit claims, 2008-09 to 2010-11 
			 £ million 
			  2008-09 2009-10 20010-11 
			 Agriculture and fishing — — — 
			 Mining and quarrying 10 5 15 
			 Manufacturing 405 385 365 
			 Distribution of gas, electricity and water 5 10 10 
			 Construction 5 10 10 
			 Wholesale and retail trade, hotels and restaurants 15 20 25 
			 Transport, storage and communication 10 10 10 
			 Financial intermediation 10 5 30 
			 Business services 395 375 410 
			 Public administration and defence 15 15 25 
			 Education, health and social work 5 10 10 
			 Other activities 25 35 35 
			 All 915 885 940 
			 Notes: 1. Industry sector is based on primary SIC2003 coding of registered company. This coding might not correspond to the industry sector of the R and D activity. So caution must be exercised when interpreting these figures. 2. Figures exclude claims where industry sector is not known. 3. Amounts are rounded to the nearest £5 million; those below £2.5 million are suppressed. 
		
	
	HMRC is are unable to disclose information on the 10 companies that received the highest amounts in research and development tax credit as this would be a breach of its duty of confidentiality.

Taxation: Combined Heat and Power

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the financial effect on UK refineries of the removal of levy exemption certificates.

Sajid Javid: Budget 2011 announced the ending of the exemption from climate change levy for electricity generated in combined heat and power (CHP) stations and supplied by electricity utilities from 1 April 2013. This exemption was administratively complex and costly to the taxpayer.
	CHP levy exemption certificates are used in the administration of this exemption. Budget 2012 announced that such certificates will not be issued for CHP electricity generated on or after 1 April 2013, but electricity utilities will have five years to use up any stockpile of certificates they hold.
	The impacts of removing the exemption are set out in the Tax Information and Impact Note published at Budget 2012. This can be found on the HMRC website:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/budget2012/tiin-0700.pdf
	This Government is committed to creating an environment that supports manufacturing within the UK and continues to incentivise CHP overall through public subsidy. The Department of Energy and Climate Change is looking at alternative ways to address barriers to investment in good-quality CHP plants.

Empty Property: Council Tax

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many local authorities in England charge 100 per cent council tax for empty properties that have been vacant for over six months; and how many local authorities in England charge 100 per cent council tax for second homes.

Brandon Lewis: As at October 2011, 205 local authorities in England reported that they were charging 100% council tax for long-term empty dwellings ie those that had been empty for more than six months and were not exempt from council tax.
	Under the current legislation, no authority is permitted to charge 100% council tax for dwellings registered as second homes; the maximum they can charge is 90%.

Research

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department spent on research and development in (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10, (c) 2010-11 and (d) 2011-12; and how much he plans to spend in (i) 2012-13, (ii) 2013-14 and (iii) 2014-15.

Brandon Lewis: The Department has spent the following on research and development:
	
		
			 Financial year (£ million) 
			 2008-09 25.3 
			 2009-10 31.2 
			 2010-11 22.9 
			 2011-12 7.6 
		
	
	The Department plans to spend the following on research and development:
	
		
			 Financial year (£ million) 
			 2012-13 10.1 
			 2013-14 10.9 
			 2014-15 9.7 
		
	
	The above figures are being kept under regular review.
	I would add that the last Administration spent £25.6 million on research projects that were commissioned but not published before May 2010, and many of those projects did not represent value for money for taxpayers—as evident by the fact that many were unpublished for years.
	This Government has now put in place greater scrutiny and challenge of newly commissioned research programmes to deliver better value for money. Ministers have also taken clear decisions to reduce the Department's administration spending to help tackle the deficit inherited from the last Administration.
	This will ensure that the sums expended in future are reasonable in relation to the public policy benefits from such research.

Police: Pensions

David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions she has had with the Scottish Police Federation on the potential effect of police pension reform in England and Wales on Scottish officers.

Damian Green: Police pensions for Scottish officers are a matter for the Scottish Government and the Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), has had no discussions specifically with the Scottish Police Federation on this matter. However, she made her announcement via a written ministerial statement on 4 September 2012, Official Report, column 19WS, on a core design for a new police pension scheme for police officers in England and Wales from 2015 after consultation with the Police Negotiating Board, on which the Scottish Police Federation is represented.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many staff of his Department and its agencies have been assigned to visit badger cull areas to take DNA samples and conduct sett surveys; how many such surveys (a) have taken place and (b) are expected to take place; and what estimate his Department has made of the total likely cost of such surveys, including the cost of contractor and staff remuneration, transport, accommodation and subsistence.

David Heath: 55 DEFRA network staff have been assigned to visit badger cull areas to take DNa samples and conduct sett surveys. 61.7km(2) of land has been surveyed in West Somerset, and 74.4km(2) in West Gloucestershire. The costs of the licensing and monitoring operations are not calculated in such a way that the fieldwork component can be easily extracted. The estimated total cost of the effectiveness monitoring, for which the bulk of the surveys work was conducted, is £850,000.

Poultry: Animal Welfare

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what steps he is taking to ensure farmed ducks are provided with bathing water;
	(2)  whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to ensure farmed ducks are provided with bathing water;
	(3)  if he will discuss the Duck Assurance Scheme with the duck farming industry with a view to improving welfare standards for farmed ducks.

David Heath: The welfare of ducks is provided for in the general provisions of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and the Welfare of Farmed Animals (England) Regulations 2007. DEFRA also has a duck welfare code which keepers are required by law to have access to and be familiar with, which encourages high standards of husbandry.
	The Government is committed to improved standards of welfare of all livestock. DEFRA completed a three-year research project in 2007 to assess whether farmed ducks needed bathing water and, if so, how it should be provided. The research suggested that to meet best practice all farmers should give access to sources of bathing water that meet the behavioural needs of ducks under their care, while being mindful of any risk to biosecurity. These findings were built on, with the RSPCA, academics and the duck industry, looking at how water could be provided to ducks in a commercial setting. DEFRA took an active part in the accompanying RSPCA ‘Higher Duck Welfare Programme’ steering group. As a result of this collaborative approach, duck welfare standards have been raised as both the RSPCA's Freedom Foods scheme and the industry's own Duck Assurance Scheme have ensured that their standards reflect the latest research.

Water Charges

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many water companies operate social tariffs; and what the name is of each water company without a social tariff.

Richard Benyon: Water and sewerage companies will be able to introduce social tariffs from April 2013 to reduce charges for individuals who would otherwise have difficulty paying their bill in full.
	The Government is clear that it is for the companies to decide whether or not to bring forward the social tariff as part of its overall strategy for addressing water affordability. Social tariffs must be developed in consultation with customers.

Airports

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with Sir Howard Davies on the likely workload of the independent commission on options for future UK hub airport capacity prior to the timeframe for its completion being set.

Simon Burns: The Government is in the process of establishing the independent Airports Commission and will announce its full membership and terms of reference shortly. The Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Derbyshire Dales (Mr McLoughlin), set out the remit and time scale for the Commission in his written ministerial statement of 7 September 2012, Official Report, columns 40-42WS.

Aviation: South East

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will bring forward a national policy statement on aviation capacity in the south-east.

Simon Burns: The Government is in the process of establishing the independent Airports Commission chaired by Sir Howard Davies. The Commission will present a final report in the summer of 2015 containing materials to support the Government in preparing a national policy statement.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what contact or correspondence his Department has made of respondents to the High Speed 2 consultation run by Dialogue by Design; whose contribution was omitted from the original analysis; and if they will publish the details of any such contact.

Simon Burns: All those affected by the statement on 17 July about 413 responses omitted from the original consultation analysis and by the statement on 18 September about 722 responses where the answers to one or more of the seven consultation questions were not analysed have been contacted by email with a letter explaining the details of their particular case.
	A list of organisations (who had not marked their response ‘confidential') affected is included in each Consultation Summary Addendum Report. In line with the Data Protection Act, individual details and correspondence would not be published.

Broadband: Members

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport whether she has had recent discussions on the broadband speed of constituency offices for hon. Members.

Edward Vaizey: The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Basingstoke (Maria Miller), has had discussions with Broadband Delivery UK about the UK having the best superfast broadband network in Europe, including 90% of households having access to superfast broadband and universal 2 Mbps broadband, but no specific discussions have taken place about the speed of broadband to constituency offices for hon. Members.

British Gas

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will consider the merits of nationalising British Gas.

John Hayes: We have no plans to renationalise any part of the energy market. The Government is committed to promoting an open, competitive energy market, and supporting consumers to save energy, both of which will help to keep consumers' bills as low as possible.
	The Government has cut red tape to help small suppliers compete on a level playing field with larger, more established, suppliers and is also taking steps to facilitate new entrants. In addition we will shortly introduce the Energy Bill that will reform the electricity market in ways that promote competition.

Electricity Generation

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what constraint payments are; and how much has been paid in respect of such payments in each of the last five years.

John Hayes: National Grid undertakes a number of activities to fulfil its role of balancing the demand and supply of electricity on the transmission system. One of these activities involves making constraint payments to generators to either increase or decrease their planned output in order to resolve bottlenecks (known as constraints) on the transmission system. This is a competitive market in which National Grid is incentivised to pick the most cost effective way to deliver what is required.
	Constraint costs over the last five years are as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
			 2007-08 70 
			 2008-09 263 
			 2009-10 139 
			 2010-11 170 
			 2011-12 328 
			 Source: National Grid published data

Energy: Meters

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to encourage the manufacture of smart meters in the UK.

John Hayes: While primary manufacturing is mainly completed outside of the UK, meter design, research, calibration, configuration and manufacturing expertise can all be utilised in this country. However, as the Programme is industry led, it will be for the energy suppliers to decide precisely how the mass roll-out of smart meters is sourced.

Heating Oil

Pat Glass: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will estimate how many households are living off-grid by (a) constituency and (b) local authority.

John Hayes: The exact number of households who are off the gas grid is not held centrally.
	Estimates have been produced based on information held from two administrative sources; these are the Gemserv database on the location of electricity meters, and data from xoserve and independent gas transporters on the location of gas meters. Subtracting the number of gas meters from the number of electricity meters produces a broad estimate of the number of off grid properties. However some households can have more than one electricity meter associated with their property (for instance, a supply for communal facilities such as stairwell lighting or a lift). Additionally, the standard gas industry definition of domestic use uses a consumption threshold, with any consumer using less than 73,200 kWh of gas per year being classed as a domestic user; it is estimated that—Great Britain wide—this definition allocates around 2 million small business users as domestic. Furthermore a small number of meters (less than one third of one percent) do not have sufficient information associated with them to be able to allocate them to a specific area. The underlying data on the number of gas and electricity meters in each local authority is available on the Departments website at:
	www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/statistics/energy_stats/regional/electricity/electricity.aspx
	www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/statistics/energy_stats/regional/gas/gas.aspx
	The table showing, for 2010, the number of domestic electricity meter points, the number of gas meter points where consumption was less than 73,200kWh, and the difference between the two figures, which forms an estimate of the number of households off the gas grid, will be placed in the Libraries of the House. The number of installed meters by parliamentary constituency level is not currently available, and as such this analysis cannot be produced for parliamentary constituencies.

Caesarean Sections

Therese Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many Caesarean sections were carried out in the NHS in (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10, (c) 2010-11 and (d) 2011-12.

Daniel Poulter: The following table gives the number of deliveries by caesarean section for the specified financial years. It should be noted that this only includes deliveries within national health service hospitals in England.
	Data for 2011-12 is not yet available, and will be published by the NHS Information Centre on 6 December 2012.
	
		
			 Count of finished consultant delivery episodes where caesarean section was the method of delivery, with the total number of deliveries taking place in NHS hospitals in England for 2008-09 to 2010-11 
			  Number of caesarean sections 
			 2008-09 154,814 
			 2009-10 157,356 
			 2010-11 162,512 
			 Source: NHS Information Centre for Health and Social Care

Patients: Safety

Andy Burnham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many incidents recorded in the National Patient Safety Agency's National Reporting and Learning System were classified as never events in each year since 2008.

Daniel Poulter: The never events framework was introduced to the national health service in England in April 2009. Therefore, there is no data available on never events reported to the National Reporting and Learning System (NRLS) prior to April 2009.
	The number of never events reported to the NRLS in each complete financial year since April 2009-10 is shown in the following table;
	
		
			  Number of never events reported 
			 2009-10 111 
			 2010-11 56 
			 2011-12 163 
			 Notes: 1. In each year, the definitions and types of incidents included in the national list of never events have changed. For example, 2011-12 saw the number of never event categories included in the list increase from eight to twenty-five. This means it is not possible to compare the number of never events reported in each year or draw conclusions about trends in the safety of NHS services from this data. 2. For 2009-10, information on numbers and descriptions of never events were produced using text searches of the NRLS for specific words or phrases across categories and in free text fields, the latter are individual to the reporter, and may contain spelling errors, typing errors or abbreviations that make it difficult to group similar incidents. Because of the technical challenges inherent in accounting for variations in describing a given incident, results from this method should be interpreted carefully. 3. For 2010-11 and 2011-12, NHS organisations were asked to identify incident reports relating to never events in the free text of their incident report to the NRLS. The NRLS data was then derived by carrying out a search for the term ‘never events’ in the free text of all the NRLS incident reports. In addition, for 2011-12, probable never events, identified from regular reviews of incidents reported to the NRLS as involving severe harm or death, are included, This method therefore relies on the reporter appropriately classifying the incident as a never event, or the never event being identified through the review of severe harm/death incidents. 4. Information on never events in the NHS is also available from NHS organisations' own reporting systems and the Strategic Executive Information System.

Streptococcus

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will ensure that the four reports commissioned through the Government's Health Technology Assessment Programme that found screening to be more cost-effective than risk-based prevention strategies will be considered by the UK National Screening Committee during the current review of screening for group B streptococcus;
	(2)  whether relevant high-quality randomised controlled trials are required by the National Screening Committee before introducing a new screening programme in the UK;
	(3)  what steps he is taking to ensure UK rates of group B streptococcus decline;
	(4)  what steps his Department is taking to ensure that all hospitals in England use the method described in the Health Protection Agency's National Standard Method BSOP58 when checking pregnant women for group B streptococcus.

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will ensure that data on the rates of potentially preventable early onset group B streptococcus infection in the UK will be considered as part of the evidence in the National Screening Committee's review of screening for group B streptococcus;
	(2)  if he will ensure that the National Screening Committee review of testing for group B streptococcus takes into account evidence from other countries when making their decision.

Daniel Poulter: The United Kingdom National Screening Committee (UK NSC) advises Ministers and the national health service in all four UK countries about all aspects of screening policy, including screening policy for group B streptococcus (GBS) carriage in pregnancy. In 2008-09 the UK NSC recommended that a national screening programme to test for GBS carriage in pregnancy using the enriched culture medium test should not be offered.
	The UK NSC is currently reviewing the evidence for screening for GBS carriage in pregnancy against its criteria again. As part of the UK NSC's review the following National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment (NIHR HTA) reports have been considered by the UK NSC:
	Colbourn T, Asseberg C, Bojke L et al. Prenatal screening and treatment strategies to prevent group B streptococcal and other bacterial infections in early infancy: cost effectiveness and expected value of information analyses. Health Technol Assess (Winchester, England). 2007;11(29).
	Daniels J, Gray J, Pattison H et al. Rapid testing for group B streptococcus during labour: a test accuracy study with evaluation of acceptability and cost-effectiveness. Health Technol Assess (Winchester, England). 2009;13(42)
	The UK NSC's internationally recognised criteria for appraising the viability, effectiveness and appropriateness of a screening programme states that there should be evidence from high quality randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that the screening programme is effective in reducing mortality or morbidity. The UK NSC acknowledges that undertaking RCTs is problematic in some areas and has used other types of evidence where RCTs are not feasible. However, in common with other organisations that give evidence based policy advice, the UK NSC recognise that these kinds of studies represent the gold standard.
	For recommended standards of care the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) published a revised Green-Top clinical guideline, on 18 July 2012, to take into account any new evidence on the prevention of early-onset neonatal GBS disease. In addition, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) published a new guideline on antibiotics for the prevention and treatment of early-onset neonatal infection, including GBS on 22 August 2012.
	National guidelines are developed to set the standards for high quality health care. In the prevention of early onset GBS disease, local maternity services should develop local guidelines (based on the RCOG's and NICE's national guideline) which all medical and midwifery staff would be expected to follow. The implementation of all guidelines should be audited regularly to confirm compliance and formulate an action plan for change in areas such as service provision education and training if the results of the audit are not satisfactory.
	The United Kingdom Standards for Microbiology Investigation B 58 is for processing swabs. The B 58's use would be restricted to specific requests rather than for routine ‘checking’. In such circumstances, the laboratory may decide whether to follow the United Kingdom Standards for Microbiology Investigation B 58 or their own standard operating procedure. The United Kingdom Standards for Microbiology Investigation (BSOP58-Processing Swabs for Group B Streptococcal Carriage) provides a standardised method for culture where clinicians decide to investigate specific patients with conditions considered to confer a high risk of infection.
	Data on the rates of potentially preventable early onset GBS infection is not collected. Laboratories across England, Wales and Northern Ireland submit data to the Health Protection Agency on .GBS infection. Submission of data is voluntary, therefore completeness of reporting has varied over time and across different parts of the country.
	The UK NSC's review focussed its detailed assessment on screening in the United States of America as this has been documented in the literature in some detail. However, the review also includes information on GBS across the world from a systematic review published in The Lancet.

British Overseas Territories

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on the establishment of marine protected areas in the Overseas Territories.

Mark Simmonds: The Government's recent White Paper on the Overseas Territories set out our approach to develop a shared agenda for sustainable environmental management with the Territories. We are committed to working with Territories governments to preserve their rich environmental heritage and have been developing with them a strategic approach to large-scale marine management. Two of the largest marine protected areas (MPAs) in the world have been established in British Overseas Territories; in the British Indian Ocean Territory a no-fishing MPA has been declared, while in South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands a sustainable use MPA has been declared that allows fishing activity, subject to tight controls, that has led to Marine Stewardship Council certification. These, and other marine protection measures across the Territories, have been based on scientific research and evidence, and further work is under way to input into their future management. We will continue to work closely with the Territories to guide the sustainable management of their marine areas, whether this be through the use of MPAs, or other appropriate management tools, and where a Territory permits fishing or other economic activities to take place as part of their management approach we will encourage this to happen in the most sustainable manner.

Gambia

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions the Government has had with the President of Gambia, and his officials on the execution of death row prisoners on 19 August 2012 and the future possibility of other death row prisoners being executed if the new moratorium is lifted.

Mark Simmonds: Since his speech on 19 August when President Jammeh pledged to begin executing death row prisoners, the UK has made our opposition to the sudden use of the death penalty in The Gambia very clear. On 25 August, the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for North East Bedfordshire (Alistair Burt) issued a statement expressing concern over the then unconfirmed reports of executions. Our high commissioner in Banjul has made several representations to the Government of The Gambia, including the Foreign Minister and the Attorney-General, on behalf of both the UK and the EU, both before and after the executions were confirmed. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has also made representations to the Gambian high commission in London.
	On 26 August, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Baroness Ashton, issued a statement condemning the executions and announcing that the EU would respond appropriately. On 12 September, acting as the local President of the EU, our high commissioner in Banjul delivered a written statement outlining the EU's position to the Gambian Foreign Minister.
	We welcome the statement issued by the Gambian Government on 14 September to reinstate a moratorium on the further use of the death penalty, although we note its conditional and non-binding nature. We will continue to work with international partners, especially the EU, to apply pressure where appropriate to help prevent further executions in the short term and to promote the abolition of the use of the death penalty in the long term.
	We support the concern expressed by Navi Pillay, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, about the executions, and will seek opportunities, including within the UN system, to reinforce it. In November, the UN General Assembly will vote on a Resolution in favour of a world-wide moratorium on the death penalty, which we are actively supporting.

Huawei

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the appropriateness of operations in Britain of Huawei.

Hugo Swire: I welcome Huawei's presence in the UK and their plans to expand that presence further with a £1.3 billion investment and procurement plan. This investment will see an increase in Huawei's UK workforce to over 1,500. It is of course vital that the UK's communications infrastructure is robust and resilient against a whole range of threats, including potential cyber attacks. No system is completely invulnerable and the globalisation of the telecoms industry means we must pay close attention to the risks inherent in its supply chains. For that reason, we have set up a unique joint venture with Huawei in 2010 where government experts and Huawei staff collaborate to provide assurance that their products meet government security standards prior to being deployed on UK networks.

Prisons

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the occupancy rate was for each prison as a percentage of population to in-use certified normal accommodation on 30 September 2012.

Jeremy Wright: The information requested is published online as follows:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/statistics/hmps/monthly-figures/prison-population-monthly-sept2012.docx
	Published data relates to the last working Friday of any given month. The nearest date to your request is 28 September.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible error with data entry and processing.

Cybercrime

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent steps the Government has taken to conquer threats in cyberspace; and if he will make a statement.

Chloe Smith: This Government has committed £650 million over four years to the National Cyber Security Programme, and the cross-Government Cyber Security Strategy:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/cyber-security-strategy
	sets out how we will support economic prosperity while protecting national security and safeguarding the public by building a more trusted and resilient digital environment.
	The Government will provide an update on progress against the objectives of the Cyber Security Strategy one year on from its publication.